With 100 words
by a Wiccan
Summary: Avaya died along with her family, murdered by Jason Leiffers. Given the chance to return to life and hunt him down she takes it, along with the conditions, She only has 100 words for the rest of her life until hes dead, among a few other conditions.
1. Chapter 1

_"Avaya come look at this!" a girl named Selina called. The girl, Avaya, looked toward her best friend, both were of the age of 10. She was pointing towards a wanted poster of a man. Jason Leiffers. For the past few weeks he had been running lose around the city, robbing and murdering people. The girls were walking home with their families after just eaten out at their favorite resturant. It had been for Avaya's birthday._

_"I see it Selina. Come on, you don't want to be left behind, everybody else is starting to cross the street. The two girls hurried to catch up. Both families were in the middle of the cross walk when screams were heard. To Avaya it was as if everything slowed down. Comin towards the familes was a large truck, speeding. The man inside was sneering at the people he was heading towards. Avaya saw Selina and their families hit by the truck. The last thing she ever thought was 'Jason Leiffers i will make you pay-'. Then, everything went dark as the truck hit her small body. _

_When police arived on the scene they covered the dead bodies. The body of 10 year Avaya no where in sight, nor was there a body in the truck that had crashed head long into a wall, crushing the front end, and all doors still closed._

_~O~O~O~_

_'W-where am I?' Avaya floated in a deep blackness. Nothing was in sight and she found herself unable move or speak. Then she sensed a presence. And then another and a third one._

_**'Avaya De Venatione. Avaya of the hunt. You are in the relm Limbo.' **__The first one spoke. If it were possible, the voice reminded Avaya of the moon._

_'Limbo? Am i dead?' She questioned. A second voice chuckled, its voice reminding her of the warm, gental sun. __**'Only if you choose to be. You vowed to make the man, Janso Leiffers, pay for his crimes. You may choose to continue to live so that you may make the criminal Jason Leiffers pay for the crimes he has comitted. But there are conditions that you must agree to. If you do not wish to follow them, you may choose to pass on and be with your family in death."**_

_Avaya thought about it momentarily. So, her family was killed, just as she saw. 'What are the conditions?'_

_Now the third voice spoke, its voice sounding like pain and death its self, __**'You will be revived into a different world, far different from the one you know. And you will be unable to take human form without thirsting for blood. You will only be able to speak 100 words in total while you live.'**_

_Here the second voice, the sun voice, broke in, __**'This will only last until you end the existance that is Jason Leiffers. With his death you will be granted life and the ability to take human form without thirsting for blood, as well as being able to speak as much as you wish. Even if it takes fifty years to do so.'**_

_Avaya thought about it all, her ten year old mind processing the events that were taking place. Finally she came to her desicion. 'I-I accept your conditions.'_

_**'Very well, you, Avaya De Venatione, child of ten years, have chosen your destiny.'**_

_**'Even as a child you mush learn to grow and be stong, from here on out you are by yourself'**_

_**'In this new world, the man you seek is hiding. You will live up to your name, and hunt him down.'**_

_Pain and a bright light flooded into Avaya's mind. To the small child it was as if liquid fire ran through her veins while the very sun its self came down directly infront of her, scorching her and blinding her with its briliance. _

_**'Remember our conditions child, a form has alread been chosen for you.' **__Then, it all went dark once again, and the pain ebbed away._

~O~O~O~

Slowly Avaya came back into consciesness. The bright light making her squint her eyes. Dimly she wondered if it had all been a dream. she moved her arm and froze. A black, hairy dog leg was in the place of her arm. She shot up, looking over her body in alarm. It was an animal body. She wasn't human. This was the form chosen for her by the Three. The ten year old looked all around her.

Everything was covered in sand. For as far as her eyes could see, the desert stretched, broken only by a near by oasis, and a larged, walled city a small distance away from her. A new, strange world indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

Gaara stared out over the village from the top of a cliff in the desert. The twelve year old wondered how easy it would be to destroy everyone in the village. Destroy every single person that whispered tales and called him a monster behind his back.

He leaned back and stared up at the sun, squinting at the bright ball of fire. There was no moon tonight and thus the boy felt only minimal bloodlust coming from the demon inside of him.

He was supposed to be at the training grounds with his 'team', but felt that it was pointless, no one could beat him, and so there was no point in showing up. Temari and Kankuro were so scared of him that it got annoying after a while, particularly when he was forbidden from killing them like he so wanted to.

"I'm alone. I won't believe in anyone, or love anyone. I'm alone" he said aloud to himself. Not a single person was around the area for miles. He looked down as something caught his eye.

Not even three feet away was a large paw print of a canine. He studied it, guessing its measurements to be 4 inches in diamater. Fives toes on it, marking it to be a front paw. He stood up, looking for more of them, the wind having scoured away most of the traces in the sand and the rocks not holding any.

For two years now he had been spotting these tracks, rarely spotting the owner of them. The owner being a large black wolf. The only wolf of that size and color in the entire desert infact. The creature was the only other living thing he had respect for now. He moved to follow the direction of the tracks.

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><p>Avaya lifted her nose to the air, catching a scent in the wind coming from behind her. For two years she had been in this world, most of that time inhabiting the form of a large wolf. Two years of living as an animal, hunting and killing for food. She had a regular patrol rout, by marking her territory regularly, the entire expance taking a month to travel around at a leiserly pace. But two years as an animal took its, sometimes her mind becomes more animal than human. Sometimes, she forgets, only remembering her goal.<p>

The scent she picked up was one she recognized. Avaya stopped and turned, facing the direction the scent was coming from. The mix of blood, sand, anger, and demon combined with boy was the scent she identified with the red head boy she saw every so often. The first few times him nearly crushing her with sand that smelled of blood and death. Her abnormal wolf body just barely managing to escape

No longer did he try to hurt her, now it was mutual curiosity and respect. Though Avay still kept a distance between them, like she did with all humans now. She stood and waited for the boy to arive. Maybe she would stick around for a while.

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><p>Gaara walked slowly around the corner of a cliff wall, so as to not spook the wolf. It stood 10 meters away from him. Its ears were pulled back slightly and its eyes were ever so slightly narrowed in curriosity, while its tail was down and relaxed. He took this as a good sign andmoved closer, sitting down on a rock five meters from the wolf. It watched him closely, sniffing the air. Sea foam eyes met amber ones. Its back came up to his hip.<p>

"You grew again." At the sound his emotionless voice the wolf jumped slightly, seamingly surprised. But then its ears cocked forward and the very tip of its tail wagged. Gaara stared at it. It had been about a month since he had seen the wolf. He judged that it made rounds of its territory, taking a month to circle it.

He took in the wolf's appearance. Other than growing again, it hadnt changed. It was still lean, like it ate just enough to survive. This was the first time he had spoken to the wolf without it bolting off. He stared at its eyes, eyes that held an uncanny intelligence, and held no judgement.

"After two years I still don't know your gender." The wolf snorted. Gaaras eyes moved only a fraction wider. A flurry of thoughts ran through his head. This wasn't the first time the wolf had shown human inteligence. It didn't happen often, but but wasn't uncommon for a nin-animal to become wild or have a family whose decendents were wild. This could be a case of one of those occurences. He decided to keep talking.

"Male?" the wolf's ears flicked back again and it snorted, tail rising indignantly. "Female then." Her ears flicked up and her tail wagged slightly. When it nodded though, that's when Gaara froze. And then blinked. The wolf barked, lips pulled back in a wolfish grin, tail wagging. She was laughing.

"You understand me." A yip of confirmation. Gaara hesitated now again. It was one thing to talk to an animal. Another thing to talk to an animal that understood you. The thought of finally going insane from the shukaku crossed his mind briefly before being dismissed. His thoughts were interupted when the wolf moved.

Gaara watched as she took a tenative step forward and stopped before taking another. Slowly she moved until only a yard seperated them. Her ears were perk up but her head was down, eyes loced on his, and her tail was curled up at the tip.

"Gaara-sama!" The wolf leapt away from Gaara and whipped around, facing the man that had yelled out. Bother her ears and lips were fully drawn back as she snarled, tail beside her leg and she crouched, fur bristled all along her back. She growled before jumping away and bolting, leaving behind Gaara and the man.

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><p>Gaara watched the wolf leave until it was out of sight. Only then did he turn his attention to the man.<p>

"What." Any other shiobi would have atleast trembled, but this was Baki, leader of the sand sibblings team. He was one of the few people openly unafraid of Gaara.

"You skipped again." Gaara didn't bother to reply. He wasn't expected to. "I then find you with the demon wolf. Honestly." Baki scolded him. And Gaara ignored it.

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><p>The next day Avaya sniffed around on the cliffs for a while, looking for the red head boy. She decided to stick around in this area of her territory for a while and wanted to make her presence known. But she was growing frustrated with lack of a Gaara being around.<p>

She pawed the ground and whined in frustration. Then the thought crossed her mind. She walked to the edge of the cliff that over looked the village hidden in the sand and raised her mussle to the sky but hesitated. If she did this then there would be no turning back. She weighed the consiquences before letting out a loud, mournful howl that echoed down into the village. It went on, and people froze in their activities, shaking in fear.

The demon wolf was in the area, and she had no intention of leaving yet.

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><p>Down on a roof top Gaara opened his resting eyes. A long, haunting melody flowed down from the cliffs. He looked up in mild surprise. On top of the cliff was a large black shape. He stood up before using his sand to teleport to the cliffs.<p>

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><p>Avaya smelt his presence just before he arived, appearing in a flurry of sand as her howl ended. Startled at the suddeness of it, she let out a surprised yip. But then her ears were perked up, tail faintly wagging. She found Gaara, how effective that was, even if the whole village stank of fear now.<p>

Gaara cautiously moved closer to the wolf before kneeling down a few feet away. The wolf cocked her head at him before taking a few tenative steps toward him. When Gaara's hand touched her fur she flinched, causing him to pause in his movements before he continued on.

The she wolf's eyes closed as she leaned into the hand that was gently petting her. The first kind contact from a human in over a year. How nice.

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><p><strong>AN yea sorry, its OOC**


	3. Chapter 3

Over the course of the next few months, Gaara and the wolf developed a system. When ever Gaara had a mission to go on, he would tell her the day before. It was only during those times that she would venture away from the cliffs to hunt. Otherwise she stayed within the area of the cliffs, living off of the lizards, mice and other rodents.

When they met up almost everyday, Gaara was welcomed with a small yip and tail wags as he pat her head. Gaara often would be skipping training with his team. After a while Baki stopped getting on his case.

The older shinobi had followed the red head one day to find out where he went, and had come across the wolf demon and Gaara. The red head had remedied the lack of skilled training partner by practicing with the wolf.

Baki had been so caught up in the unexpected display that he forgot to watch the wind. The wolf was prancing around Gaara, yipping and dodging the sand, its tail moving in a furious wagging movement. Baki had thought that Gaara was seriously trying to crush the wolf, but not once did he injure the animal.

It was like the two were playing, sparring affectionately. The wolf never nipped at him directly, only swatting at the sand and pretending to bite it. For Gaara's part, he watched his sand very carefully. Not once did it harm her. Gaara, widely known for killing anything and anyone just because, was playing gently with the demon wolf. The wolf known for taking out bands of bandits and skilled fighters.

A surprised yip brought him out his musing. The large wolf was stuck, sand wrapped around its legs and chest. Baki retraced his thoughts; maybe Gaara was going to kill it after all. But the wolf's tail was wagging as she sniffed the sand wrapped around her, before looking up at Gaara expectantly. Baki was stunned as the sand fell away from the large animal, which then pranced up to Gaara, nosing his hand. Baki went into disbelief as the redheads hand patted the wolf with affection.

Then the wind shifted. The wolf tensed before swinging around, placing herself between the redhead and Baki, snarling at the man. The older shinobi was already gone before Gaara could see who it was.

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><p>That night Baki returned to the cliff, looking for the wolf. It was hard, walking in the dark, trying to find a wolf he couldn't sense. At last he came to the area he had spied on Gaara and the wolf in. He walked to the center of it and looked around. The wolf was no place to be seen. He turned to return to the village and jumped in surprise.<p>

There in his path was the demon wolf, sitting and staring at him. The tales he had heard about the monstrous wolf ran through his head. But outwardly he was calm.

"I found you." He raised and eye brow when the wolf snorted and rolled its eyes as if to say, no, I found you.

"Are you a nin-wolf?" she shook her head. So the beast did understand humans. "A demon?" the wolf snorted, shaking its massive head once again. "What are you? Just a wolf?" A low whine fell from the massive wolf before him. He stared at the beast.

"Will you allow me to talk with you for a while?"

* * *

><p>It was early morning when Avaya stood; looking out over the village that that man, Baki, and Gaara dwelled in. Memories from last night played in her head.<p>

"_Gaara is a monster that his father created" Avaya snarled at the man. "Wait, let me finish. The villagers treat him as such, and live in fear and hatred of him. Because of this, he has come to trust none and hate everyone. The belief that he exists only to kill others has become so ingrained in him that he lives only to kill. The hate, anger, pain, and loneliness in his eyes, it's not there when he's with you, wolf. I think you can help him. Ease his pain and loneliness, and give him strength." Avaya perked her ears forward and tilted her head, eyes narrowed in suspicion. _

"_How human you seem, demon wolf. Only you can train with Gaara, helping him to advance his abilities without coming to harm and without fearing him. Stay by his side, he needs you."_

Now she stood, waiting for Gaara to appear in the flurry of sand he always arrived in.

* * *

><p>When Gaara arrived she barked happily, tail beating the air, as she pranced over to him, nosing his hand. He knelt down and looked her in the eyes.<p>

"Only you ever receive me with kindness." The wolf pawed his leg and he continued on. "Tomorrow I leave on a long mission, two weeks I'll be gone." The wolf nuzzled his chest. "It's the chunin exams. I'll return after them for a short while before going back for the last round."

* * *

><p>The next morning saw the sand sibling's team leaving the gates of Suna. Temari and Kankuro gave Gaara a wide birth, shooting wary glances at the younger redhead. Who knew how he would behave on this trip. They both looked at Baki, who remained undisturbed. They all took off through the desert. It would take three days to get to the land of fire. The first exam started in five.<p>

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><p>That night the four Suna nin sat around a meager fire in the desert. Baki was preparing supper while Temari and Kankuro worked on and took care of their weapons. Gaara sat in a brooding silence, staring out into the dark. Everything was calm and quiet.<p>

A single long note flowed out into the sky, the haunting melody piercing the darkness. Temari shrieked. "What is that?", staring out into the darkness fearfully. Kankuro laughed nervously. "Scared of the wind much sister?" Temari hit him, which resulted in the two of them bickering loudly. Gaara twitched.

"Both of you shut up. It's a wolf." The two elder siblings looked at an irritated Baki.

"A wolf?" "What would a wolf be doing out here?" they questioned him.

Baki shrugged, "Maybe it's giving a blessing." The elder shinobi looked at Gaara after the other two had gone back to their weapons. The redheads face was completely blank as he stared out into the darkness.

In the distance a large black animal sat watching the camp. She would follow as she made her rounds partially.

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><p><strong>AN: yea i know, ooc-ness and really fast moving, dont worry, it'll slow down once it gets to the main story.**

**Read and Review**

**No Flames.**


	4. Chapter 4

Avaya paced the forest in agitation. For her position she could see the gates of the village that Gaara had entered. He was so close yet so far away from the wolf. She whined as she lay down on the ground. It had been two days since Gaara and his team had arrived at the village and only once had Gaara been able to visit her.

Avaya lifted her massive head to sniff the air but it was in vain. There were too many scents for her to pick out his. She let out another whine as she lay her head back on her paws. She would take another nap for now.

Voices sounded close to her position and Avaya opened a single eye to see what the commotion was. Not too far from the entrance of the village she could make out the scent and voices of Gaara's older siblings, they were arguing with somebody. Another scent was added to the mix, causing an even tenser situation. Then Avaya perked up. Gaara's scent was suddenly with them.

Ignoring the two guards at the gate, Avaya bounded into the village, racing towards Gaara's position, despite the yells she heard coming from people. Gaara's scent was starting to move. She had to act fast.

The wolf leapt over a fence and landed before the redhead, panting and with a triumphant canine grin on her face.

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><p>Gaara had been more than shocked when out of nowhere the wolf leapt over a fence and appeared before him. The redhead had completely stopped walking when she appeared. He took note of the wolfish grin on her face though and as she sniffed him, Gaara heard her short snort of laughter.<p>

Behind him he could hear Kankuro and Temari gasp in fear. The wolf barely looked at them, her tail was wagging and her sole focus was on Gaara. He couldn't help it. He rested a hand on her head briefly scratching it, and then continued on walking, the massive wolf right beside him. Idly he wondered how the next few weeks were going to go.

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><p>Avaya sat on the floor in the main room of the apartment the sand team was using. Temari was polishing her fan, Kankuro was making last minute adjustments to his puppet, and Gaara was sitting in the window. Baki was someplace else but when he returned it would be time for the first test. Avaya had already decided she was going to accompany them. Not that they knew that.<p>

To Temari and Kankuro she was just a really big and scary wolf. Baki was a little better but still he treated her like a dumb animal. Gaara was the only one that didn't treat her like she was stupid. Not that she really could blame them. Even she would sometimes forget she had been human originally.

Avaya suddenly stood up. Gaara watched her while the other two looked at her in confusion. Then the door opened and Baki walked in. It was time to go. The sand siblings filed out the door with the wolf following. Avaya's tail was wagging. This could prove to be exciting.

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><p>Avaya huffed from her position on the floor. So far this was not exciting. They were taking a written test and Avaya could do nothing but lay there. She longed to atleast get up and move around. Or maybe snap at some of the shinobi that openly gawked at her. Honestly, it was annoying. But one look from Gaara told her that any action would not be wise.<p>

A few seats down she spotted a kiri genin with wierd hair. He was staring straight at her wierdly. She lifted her head and leveled a glare at him. She could practicly smell his fear. If a wolf could smirk she would have. As it was she drew back her lips into a frightening wolfish smile. He looked away and she went back to laying with her head on her paws. Yeah, this was the opposite of exciting.

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><p>Avaya had been listening to the rules along with every other person in the room and so when there was ten minutes left, she looked up at the man called Ibiki. He would be giving out the tenth question now any second. SHe briefly looked at Gaara to see him with an almost bored expression. She shifted slightly to nudge his leg.<p>

The redhead looked down and his teal eyes met her amber ones. Subtly Gaara reached down and scratched her behind her ears before looking at Ibiki who had begun to speak.

"For the final question, if you get this wrong then you will never become a chunin. You have the option of leaving now and trying again next year. If you fail then your entire team fails as well."

There were murmers throughout the entire room Avaya snorted. She could almost smell the man's bluff. Several people opted to leave the exam and the wolf snorted again, this time at their unwillingness to take a chance. In front of her, Avaya caught a wierd scent. She looked up to see a blond boy in an orange outfit. For a moment it looked like he too was going to drop out, but then he slammed his hand down on the table.

"I'm not going to quit, believe it! One day I will be the Hokage, even if i stay a genin forever!" He went off on some little speach that had Avaya curling her tail in amusement. She liked this boy. He sat down again and Ibiki took a moment to build up the tension. And then,

"You all pass." Everyone slumped in the room in relief. Ibiki went on about do or die missions and such, but Avaya was busy concitrating on a scent that was coming in fast. She looked to the windows just as something burst through them.

It was a woman and a banner. The banner was attached to the wall in front of Ibiki.

"I'm Anko and I will be your second examiner. Tomorrow you will all meet outside at the Forest of Death."

Avaya twitched a little in excitment. Now that had to be exciting.

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><p><strong>AN sorry it has been so long everyone. This is for SilverNiera, for promting this update. Review loves, reviews means faster updates. No flames. And i appologise for any spelling mistakes**


	5. Chapter 5

Avaya was practically giddy with excitement. It had been a while since anything exciting had happened for her, and this Forest of Death looked exciting. The large wolf's nose was twitching and her ears were flicking all over the place as she took in all of the scents and sounds around her.

Gaara stood stoically at her side with his brother and sister on his other side. On their way to the forest, Kankuro had tried petting Avaya and she snapped at him, just barely missing his hand. Gaara was the only one she allowed to touch her.

All around, other genin were talking to each other. Avaya caught the strange scent that she had smelt earlier from the blond boy in orange. She looked towards the direction the scent was coming from. He was causing some sort of commotion with the lady who had crashed through the window. Suddenly there was another man behind the woman.

Everything about the man gave the wolf-girl the creeps. He looked like a woman, but Avaya's nose could not be fooled. And everything about him smelled wrong. Unconsciously she began to growl.

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><p>Gaara looked down at the wolf when he heard her begin to growl. Her ears were tilted back and the fur along her spine was bristled. Her tail was rigid and down. The wolf's amber eyes were locked on something. He followed her gaze.<p>

A woman from the grass village was standing behind the woman from earlier, a kunai held in her long tongue. Something about the grass woman was off. He could not quite place it, but if the wolf decided she was a threat, then Gaara would trust its judgment.

He placed a hand on the wolf's head. Instantly she stopped growling and looked up at him. Her tail relaxed and wagged slightly as her fur fell back to its normal place. Gaara gently rubbed behind her ears, which were now perked forward. Amber eyes closed in contentment at the treatment.

Beside them Kankuro and Temari exchanged a look. They had both witnessed what had transpired. Kankuro, if anything was more creeped out by the massive wolf that had taking a liking to his brother. Temari, however, was beginning to think about things. She watched the wolf as it interacted with Gaara.

It was slight. So slight, in fact, that if it had been anyone other than her, Temari doubted anyone would have noticed. But when Gaara looked at the wolf, the hate in his eyes was never there. He was the feared monster of Suna, a remorseless killer. Yet here was, comforting the demon wolf. Temari suspected there was more to the wolf than anyone else knew.

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><p>Avaya shot into the forest with the sand siblings. A wolfish grin was on her face. The entire place smelled amazing. There were so many hidden dangers in the area that Avaya was tempted to start exploring. She had her redhead with her, so she knew she was in no danger.<p>

Her nose flared as she picked up the scent of another group. She looked up at Gaara, catching his eye. He gave a minute nod and the group took off toward them. They landed in a clearing where three Ame genin were. She could also smell some other Konoha genin hiding in a bush. The puppy with them stank of fear.

Avaya was tense. She could feel Gaara's blood lust. She stood beside him, her shoulder pressed against his leg. Temari and Kankuro stood back behind them, giving the redhead room to fight. They all exchanged some words before the leader of the Ame team reached behind him.

"Then let's do this." He pulled out several umbrella's and threw them in the air. Avaya watched them blankly.

"Die kid!" Umbrella's? Was the guy and idiot? She quickly understood their purpose though when they began spinning, sending out needles.

"These needles are infused with my chakra, enabling them to hit my target." Neither Gaara nor Avaya moved. She had a feeling she would be safer standing next to the redhead. And she was right.

Gaara's sand rose up around the two of them, blocking the needles.

"Is that it?" Gaara questioned. Avaya wore a wolfish grin on her face.

The Ame genin were speechless and infuriated. The one that had attacked them charged towards them. He did not get far. Gaara caught him in his desert coffin.

"This isn't so tough." The genin bit out as he struggled to move in the sand. Avaya snorted at him as she followed Gaara contently as he moved forward to pick up an umbrella.

"I could cover your mouth and kill you," Gaara raised the Ame genin with his sand as he opened the umbrella, "But that would be too miserable on your side." Gaara crushed him.

Blood went flying everywhere, but Avaya was shielded from it by Gaara and the umbrella he held. The look on the other two genins faces were priceless. Avaya was in no was disturbed or shocked by the scene. She had caused worse on the rare occasions she became human.

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><p>Gaara discarded the umbrella, satisfied that he and the wolf were without any filth. He watched as she trotted off to one of the bushes but paid no mind to it. He had two others to kill.<p>

The redhead ignored their pleading as he sent his sand toward them. They stood no chance and were destroyed. Kankuro picked up the scroll.

"It's the one we need. Now we can head to the tower."

"Not yet. I still want to kill more."

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><p>Avaya trotted over to where she could smell the Konoha shinobi hiding with the puppy. She snuck into the bushes and appeared behind them.<p>

'_**Hello pup.'**_

The puppy whimpered in terror and the other three genin whipped around to be face to face with a massive wolf. They were absolutely terrified. Avaya was sure they were about to wet themselves.

She nudged the puppy, earning a terrified whimper from its owned as her mouth passed by his face.

'_**Don't worry. You are safe. We are leaving now.'**_ Avaya had always liked puppies. So she decided she would be nice and comfort the puppy here. Communicating with another canine did not use up her precious words after all, so there was no harm in it.

Hearing Kankuro, Temari and Gaara begin to argue, Avaya turned and left, heading back to the sand siblings. Upon seeing Kankuro grabbing the front of Gaara's vest, she let out a snarl, causing them to freeze.

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><p>Gaara spotted the wolf leaving the bushes from the corner of his eye. But when he heard her snarl, he turned to look at her. Her eyes were locked on Kankuro. And she looked angry. Kankuro released him and Gaara could not help but to feel a small twinge of victory. The wolf was on his side.<p>

She walked over to him, the growling now silenced. She pressed up against his leg, looking up at him. Gaara glared at his brother and sister.

"Fine." He corked his gourd and then began walking off. He would go to the tower, but only because of the wolf. She trotted after him, a wolfish smile on her face as she looked back to Temari and Kankuro. Temari and her locked eyes for a split second. The blond nodded and began following her youngest brother and the demon wolf.

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><p><strong>AN: Review my dears. And if you watch this episode of the anime, you will notice that Temari and Kankuro disappear for part of the fight.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This is for SilverNeira. Why? Because she is my faithful reviewer and I love seeing her review. And for the random guy I talk to at college and play pool with. Simply because I can. Enjoy loves, and review!**

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><p>Avaya laid on the floor silently beside Gaara. The redhead had been in a foul mood since they reached the tower three days ago. Not being able to kill somebody was driving him mad. And being in such close contact with his siblings, who were giving him <em>that <em>look, was bothering him more than he could say.

He would absentmindedly pet her and she gave him the silent company he desired. But even the wolf was beginning to get restless. She wanted to move around. No, she needed to. But she refused to leave Gaara's side. Still though, she wished she could explore the forest a little bit.

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><p>Gaara found himself petting the wolf again when he looked down at her. Her amber eyes were locked on the door that lead to outside longingly. He was not stupid. He knew she had stayed there just for him. Internally he sighed.<p>

"Come back before midnight." She looked up at him, her tail wagging furiously. She gave his hand a swift lick before taking off toward the outside. Kankuro nearly fell over from shock when she zoomed by him. Gaara watched as the wolf burst though the doors.

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><p>Avaya darted through the trees, scenting everything in the area and listening for threats. She was a wolf on a mission. Some where in the forest was that boy with the weird scent. It was like Gaara's and she wanted to know why. But she would first have to track him down. He could not be too far away.<p>

Avaya sped through the trees, her black fur helping her to blend in as she passed by other genin silently and without their knowledge. She bypassed several interesting scents, too focused on her self assigned mission to play around. If there was somebody like her redhead, she wanted to know. Then maybe he would not be so alone anymore.

Since Avaya had begun having contact with Gaara, she felt her human mind beginning to return. Her thoughts were clearer, her mind was sharper and she began to remember the feeling of companionship, something she had not had in years. She owed Gaara for giving her back her humanity, even if he did not realize it, and even though she was still a wolf. She had her mind back, which was all that mattered.

She continued on, searching for the strange boy. It was not long before she caught scent of him.

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><p>Avaya growled to herself when she found the boy. He, along with his other male teammate, was unconscious. The girl with pink hair was nearly asleep as she guarded them. The wolf-girl snorted but then paused when she caught a whiff of that man who looked like a woman who smelled wrong.<p>

It was coming from the blond boy's companion. Now Avaya's curiosity was peaked. Something was going on here and she wanted to know what. She looked at the girl again. She practically asleep. Avaya could smell the trap she had set up. So all she had to do was sneak around and get behind the pink haired girl to look at the boys. It seemed like a fun challenge.

Avaya seemingly melted through the trees as she crept along. All of her senses were on high alert. She wanted to complete her self assigned mission without any disruptions and then go back to Gaara. She could imagine the redhead's glare at his siblings right now, now that she was not there. So Avaya tried to hurry the best she could.

She had successfully managed to sneak behind the pink haired girl and was able to slip into where the two boys were resting. Avaya sniffed first the one that smelled like the man who looked like a woman. On his shoulder was a mark that gave off the scent. It was awful. Avaya had to bite back a growl when she sniffed it. She decided that that boy could become dangerous. She did not like it. Then she realized something. These were the kids that had gotten into an argument with Temari and Kankuro on the first day.

She moved to examine the blond boy. His smell was a little off, but Avaya guessed that the man-woman person had done something to him, causing the slight shift in scent. None the less, Avaya could still smell it. It smelled like the thing in Gaara, yet at the same time it was different. She was pondering this when she heard pinky outside move. It was time go.

Avaya slipped back out and made to leave when she noticed something. She sniffed the air. Three genin that smelled like the man-woman thing were coming closer. They were stalking down this group of genin. Avaya frowned internally before sniffing the air again. Konoha genin were not too far away. And a little farther than them were some Kiri genin. But no one else were in the vicinity. Perfect.

In a split second she made her decision. It may not be the smartest idea, but Avaya had plans for the blond boy. No way would some stupid kids ruin them. Avaya waited for the perfect moment to act. She saw the squirrel with the explosion tag run over to pinky. She observed as the girl scared the squirrel away. Now it was time to act. She made her move.

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><p>The squirrel felt the tag on his back begin to sizzle and it began freaking out. It barely took notice when slender hands scooped it up and took off in the opposite direction towards somebody. When it felt itself get dropped on the ground it began shrieking and rolling around on the ground.<p>

Not too far away was a Konoha genin trying to catch leaves. He heard the squirrel and rushed over, saving it. And apparently he could understand it for he took off in the direction the squirrel had come from. Amber eyes watched the scene before taking off again. Everything so far was working perfectly.

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><p>Neji and Tenten were looking around the forest for Lee. The boy had disappeared on his own after Neji had specifically told him to not go too far. Suddenly Neji's eyes picked up something. Somebody was coming toward them, and fast. Neji braced himself, not knowing who the person was. Tenten copied him.<p>

Without warning a girl burst from the bushes, stopping a fair distance from them. She stared at them expectantly. Neji and Tenten observed her carefully. Her long black hair was loose and easily reached her knees. Her feet were bare and she appeared to be clothed only in a black robe-like garment with tank top type sleeves. The only thing holding the outfit closed appeared to be a wide leather and brass belt, causing the top part to be snuggly closed, but allowing the bottom to expose part of her leg.

"Who are you? Why don't you have a forehead protector?" Neji demanded. Neither he nor Tenten recognized the girl from the Chunin exams. She did not answer, instead she shrugged.

"Do you know where Lee is?" Tenten asked. Something told her that the strange girl before them was not apart of the exams. This time the girl nodded. She motioned back toward the way she came from. Neji used his Byakugan. Sure enough he spotted his team mate. Who was once again in danger.

"Tenten." The two of them took off, leaving the girl alone. She blinked before shrugging.

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><p>The girl was walking through the forest seemingly at random.<p>

"Hey girly. What's a girl like you doing her alone dressed like that?" The girl turned to see three Kiri genin standing behind her. One of them, the leader, had strange hair. She smiled a little. Perfect. Right on time.

"What are you smiling at girly? Is something funny?" The girl just continued to smile. The Kiri genin were getting annoyed by her silent manner. One of them walked up to her, kunai in hand.

"Where's your scroll?" Now she just openly grinned at him and shook her head.  
>These people were just plain out stupid. He reached out and grabbed the front of her robe.<p>

"Say something you freak, or I'll make you talk." He held the kunai to her throat. Now she let out a silent chuckle. She moved before any of them could do anything.

The girl ripped the kunai out of his hand and yanked his head to the side, exposing his throat. She bit in and through the skin into the jugular. Greedily she began sucking out the blood and drinking it. The boy gave a gurgling cry but he was dead within seconds. The other two were frozen in shock as the girl killed him and drained him dry.

When his body hit the ground, the girl looked up at them, a wicked grin on her face. They began backing away, but the girl picked up the dead boy's kunai. She charged at them, taking down one with her bare hands and taking down the other by throwing the kunai at their back. She drained them both dry.

When the girl finished she looked up at the sky. For the moment the burning craving had been subdued. She would be fine for a while now while she finished her job. If she hurried she might be in time to witness the ending of the fight.

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><p>Sakura sat numbly in front of Ino as the blond girl fixed Sakura's hair. Shikamaru stood close by, watching the area. Then he noticed something. In a tree, lounging on a branch was a girl in a black robe. Everybody else followed his gaze when he tensed. They all saw the girl just before she disappeared.<p>

Meanwhile the girl was thinking to herself. Things became very interesting. Amber eyes looked up at the sky. It was getting late. A black wolf darted through the trees and all traces of the girl disappeared.

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><p>Gaara looked up when the wolf came trotting back inside the tower and to him. She walked up and greeted him with a nudge. The redhead scratched her behind the ears as she lay down beside him, using his leg as a headrest. He continued to pet her, feeling his mood lighten slightly. The wolf sighed as she closed her eyes and began to doze. Gaara figured she had gotten the restlessness out of her system finally. He looked back out the window.<p>

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><p><strong>AN: Review, sorry for any mistakes. No flames**


	7. Chapter 7

Avaya shifted impatiently. The dead line for the test had passed and now those moving on were gathered in the main room, listening to an old man prattle on about something. Avaya could hardly be bothered to pay attention. She instead observed the genin while she sat beside Gaara.

Like she had planned, the blond boy and his team made it through, along with the dog boy's team and the other teams that had unknowingly assisted in Avaya's plans. The black wolf wagged her tail. She could see her plans taking shape already. Though by the looks of it, not everybody was up to par. She could smell it.

As she was sniffing the air, something made her bristle. A low growl started to build in her chest. The woman-who-is-a-man was there. Something else about him set her on edge. He stank of snakes, chemicals and death. He was bad news. Very bad. And his team was something to be wary of. Just then he looked at her and their eyes clashed. Avaya snarled as her fur stood on end. There was no way in hell she would let him or his team any where near Gaara.

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><p>Gaara looked down at the black wolf by his side when he heard her begin to growl. His curiosity turned to worry when she began snarling. Her tail, for the first time in Gaara's memory, was down, almost between her legs. Her ears were laid flat and her lips were drawn back, exposing all of her teeth. Her fur was on end, making her look bigger than she already was.<p>

The redhead followed her gaze. There was a woman from sound whose eyes were locked with the wolf's. Gaara did not like it. Making his wolf act like that could only mean that person was a threat. A very large and strong threat. He placed a hand on his wolf's head. Instantly she quieted and relaxed. She looked up at him, the tip of her tail just barely wagging as she let out a small whine.

Gaara kept his hand resting on the wolf's head as he put his attention back onto the speaker, who was now a sickly Chunin. The man kept coughing as he explained the rules. Then, the drawing started.

Names flickered across the screen as it randomly selected who would be the first to fight. The redhead kept his eyes glued to the screen along with everybody else in the room. He wanted to fight. Gaara wanted to kill something. When the first names halted and appeared on the screen, Gaara could not help but to feel a little bit irritated.

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><p>Avaya watched the screen with the rest of the people. She could practically smell Gaara's bloodlust. In the back of her mind, the wolf hoped Gaara's blood lust would not disrupt her plans. But foremost on her mind was the woman-who-is-a-man. She was gauging his expression as he watched the screen with too much interest. When the names were chosen, she was still watching him. Only when a sick, delighted look briefly flashed across his face did Avaya look at the screen. Sasuke Uchiha verse Yoroi Akado.<p>

Avaya sensed Gaara's disappointment and despite the situation, the wolf had to snort in amusement. She stood and brushed up against his leg, urging him to get moving as everyone else filed to the stairs that lead to the platforms above the fighting rink. They, along with Gaara's team, climbed the stairs on one side of the room and settled down to watch the fight.

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><p>Avaya could sense something was wrong still the boy on the blonds team. Sasuke Uchiha was his name, as Avaya now knew. On his neck, where that mark was, a horrible stench was being emitted. It made her was to growl. The smell was similar to that of the woman-who-was-a-man still, and every time Sasuke tried to use any sort of jutsu, the stench became stronger.<p>

Avaya could not help but to watch in contempt as the other boy attacked Sasuke, stealing his chakra. Avaya ignored the blond boy's shouts as she concentrated on the match, only understanding that he was insulting Sasuke, who was getting more and more frustrated.

The wolf watched as Sasuke's eyes landed on the boy in green. A flicker of an idea flashed through Sasuke's eyes. Avaya watched as he performed a new technique, one without the use of his chakra. It won him the match and Avaya had to give him props for figuring out that using chakra would be a bad idea.

When the instructor took Sasuke out of the ring, Avaya's interest was peaked. Even more so when the woman-who-was-a-man, followed them. She watched them leave intently before turning to the next match. She felt Gaara's hand begin scratching behind her ear and she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation.

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><p>Gaara watched the match intently, focusing on the Uchiha. When it was over he looked down to see his wolf staring at Sasuke even more intently than he had been. He watched her as she watched Sasuke leave with his instructor and as the Sound team leader followed him.<p>

The redhead noticed how, unconsciously, the wolf's fur stood on end when she looked at the Sound Jonin. As she focused back on the next match with the same calculating intensity as before, though with less interest, Gaara could not help but to wonder once again how intelligent his wolf really was. Her near human intelligence combined with her animal instincts, made her seem far more human than she appeared.

Gaara reached out his hand to scratch behind her ear. Under his touch the wolf visibly relaxed. She was his wolf and the only one he came close to caring for. He turned back to the match, still petting his wolf.

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><p>Avaya had little interest in the next match. It was between the boy on the puppy's team. Shino Aburame, as Avaya learned, the bug user, and the boy that had attacked Sasuke's team. As Avaya had expected, Shino won the match. And she decided she liked the bug boy, if only because he defeated the annoying pest who would interfere with her plans.<p>

Kankuro's match was next. Avaya had no interest in this match. She did not even bother to watch. She knew Kankuro would win, and that was all she even bothered to learn. The match following his was the girl with pink hair, Sakura, and the blond girl, Ino.

While it did not interest Avaya via information, it was amusing to watch. She let out a snort when the two girls knocked each other out, causing Gaara to look at her before turning his own attention back to the fights.

As with Kankuro's fight, Avaya had no interest in Temari's fight. She knew Temari would win. Even when the boy who used shadows fought, Avaya held little interest. She did not perk up until the next match. Naruto Uzumaki, the blond boy who smelled sort of like Gaara, and Kiba Inuzuka, the boy with the puppy. Avaya let out a sort bark, causing everyone around her to jump and stare at her. Except for Gaara, he just stared at her for a moment before turning his attention to the match.

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><p>He would not say it, or even express it, but the redhead was obviously curious as to what made the wolf so interested in the match. Gaara could feel his wolf trembling with excitement as she watched the match. He observed her carefully before figuring out what she was excited about.<p>

Her amber eye's darted back and forth between the blond boy and the puppy in excitement. While he could not understand why she was excited about the boy, Gaara could make a guess over the puppy.

His wolf either really liked puppies or was excited to see one, or, she thought of it as prey. More likely though she was excited to see it. When the puppy's tail gave a wag at his wolf's bark, he guessed he was correct in assuming that the wolf liked the puppy. Gaara stored the information away subconsciously. He may not like people and lived to kill and fight, but his wolf was his wolf after all. His wolf was different.

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><p>After the match between Naruto and Kiba, Avaya lost interest again. The wolf observed the fight between the two Hyuga's without interest, only gaining information she deemed would be useful at some point. Though Avaya's interest was caught when, Hinata, the girl fighting, made a reference to Naruto.<p>

The wolf's amber eyes moved from the fight to watch the blond boy. She was almost certain of it now. He might be able to help Gaara. That hyperactive boy in orange might be able to show Gaara a world with light, something that, as a wolf, Avaya would be unable to do. Her plans were falling into place more and more at each passing moment. She would just have to be patient.

At last the fight ended. Avaya decided she did not like the older boy, though she did feel compassion for the girl. She watched, with her animalistic, calculating eyes as Hinata was taken away, and as Naruto swore revenge. Then, with a start, she looked at the board. Gaara had to be going soon.

Sure enough, just as she looked, Gaara's name appeared on the screen. Her tail wagged excitedly as she nudged Gaara's hand in a good luck gesture. He looked at her briefly to give a small nod of acknowledgement, and then he was gone in a swirl of sand, only to reappear down on the floor of the small arena.

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><p>Gaara looked down when he felt a cold, wet nose nudge his hand. His wolf was staring up at him, a wolfish smile on its face while its tail was waving back and forth in excitement. It was his turn to fight and prove to himself that he existed.<p>

He gave a small nod to the wolf, a silent acknowledgement to its silent well wishing, before disappearing in a whirlwind of sand, appearing down on the floor below, awaiting his opponent. It was the boy in green with the odd hair and giant eye brows. No matter. The redhead would still destroy him

* * *

><p>Avaya watched the fight between Gaara and the strange boy in green, Rock Lee. The boy was fast, but not too fast for the red head's sand. Rock Lee was barely keeping a step ahead of Gaara's sand. Any moment he would mess up and Gaara would land a blow on the Konoha Genin. That moment soon came and Rock Lee was throne into a wall. Still though, he got back up and continued to try to land a blow on Gaara, only to get thrown back again and again.<p>

Avaya could hear Sakura gasp when Rock Lee was on his back, Gaara's sand rushing toward him. She snorted. Gaara was holding back, the boy would be fine. What was not expecting, however, was for him to completely doge the sand and flip onto the statue.

The wolf girl observed carefully as the weird boy knelt down and took off some ankle weights at his sensei's prompting. At first she failed to understand how they would make such a difference, but as they fell, Avaya soon understood. The weights were more than just simple ankle weights; they were far heavier than that. They crashed into the ground, causing huge craters. Avaya's worry for Gaara suddenly spiked.

Rock Lee was suddenly darting around Gaara, too fast for her to see, and Gaara's sand was barely able to stop his blows. Then, the moment Avaya feared the most came true. The Konoha Genin broke through Gaara's sand. Avaya stood up, eye's darting as she watched the match, her worry for the red head growing by the second.

Unable to do anything, Avaya was forced to watch as Rock Lee sent Gaara high into the air, out of reach of the sand. Bandages from the boy's arm began to wrap around Gaara as the fell, spinning faster and faster. Avaya let out a whimper in her fear for the red head just before he hit the ground. In that split second his eyes found her amber ones and Avaya saw an unknown emotion flash through his eyes. Then everything was obscured by dust as he crashed into the ground.

When it cleared, Gaara lay prone on the ground, eyes and mouth open, but unmoving. Avaya paced nervously at the railing as people began to cheer. But when the proctor walked over, Gaara began to crumble. It was a sand shell. A look of panic crossed Rock Lee's face as Gaara rose from the sand behind him. There was a maniac look on the red head's face. Avaya stood stock still as she took everything in.

With a crazed grin, Gaara sent the sand at his opponent, knocking Rock Lee back despite his attempts to block. The boy, who was considerably weakened from his final attack, was at Gaara's mercy. And the red head knew it. A wave of sand hit the Konoha Genin, sending him flying into the wall. Dust was everywhere as Gaara licked his lips in excitement.

Rock Lee was forced to doge for his life now as Gaara sent blast after blast at him. Gaara prepared to use his desert coffin, but to everyone's amazement, Rock Lee stood and dodged once again with his speed. The smirk on his face had Avaya sighing. He was way too cocky. It was going to get him killed. Gaara would completely destroy him. She paused for moment to take a sniff. Rock Lee's scent was changing.

She watched intently as the boy's chakra became visible and his power increased. Then he was gone. Avaya felt her fear spike once again as the arena was enveloped in dust and rocks. Gaara was then, once again, sailing high into the air, Rock Lee right behind him.

Avaya felt cold terror envelope her body as Gaara was pounded through the air, his sand unable to keep up, over and over and over. Not once did the red head touch the ground or have he chance to defend himself. With a final kick, Gaara was sent whizzing toward the ground, only for Rock Lee to catch him by the sash, and pull Gaara toward him. Gaara was pummeled by a serious of vicious punched to the stomach before he finally hit the ground.

The ground erupted into a cloud of dust. Enveloping Gaara, as Rock Lee rolled away, energy spent. When the dust cleared, Gaara was on the ground cushioned, his gourd turned to sand. Gaara sent his sand after Rock Lee once again. The boy, who was too exhausted to do more than crawl, was caught by the deadly wave. His arm and leg were crushed. He finally passed out. But Gaara was not finished. He sent a finally wave at the boy, intending to kill him. Avaya let out a sharp bark.

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><p>Gai looked up at the large wolf on the platform. The second its bark had rang out, Gaara had begun pulling back. Even if Gai had not interfered, the attack would not have killed his student. The Jonin decided there was more to the animal than meet the eye. He looked back at the confused redhead.<p>

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><p>Gaara was confused. Why had the man gotten in the way? Gaara's opponent had failed, so the man should have let Gaara finish it. He stood, his gourd reforming, and began walking away as he was named winner. As he walked, his wolf suddenly joined him, sniffing his injuries. It was only then that he realized he had pulled back when her stern bark had rung out.<p>

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><p><em><strong>AN Sorry it's been so long every body, but I'm back now. And soon the main part of the story will begin. Review, no flames :)**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: tisk tisk, only four reviews for the last chapter. I want to thank TMC-Yuki, Shadow-Ninja-Captain69, and u**__**dntned2no for reviewing. And SilverNeira, whose reviews continue to make me smile and for reviewing every chapter so far. And now, on to the story.**_

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><p>Gaara dealt with his wolf sniffing his injuries and licking them. It was just the two of them now on a roof top. The redhead had his sand bring up the wolf with him when he had gone to the roof. Though he figured she could be taught to get to roof tops by herself, Gaara found it easier just taking her with him. She did not wiggle around like other animals would. At the moment however, he was watching her fret over him like a mother hen.<p>

"Wolf." She stopped and looked at him with her amber eyes. "Time to go." Gaara took the two of them back to where Baki was waiting with Temari and Kankuro.

Gaara's siblings had gotten a little more used to having the giant wolf around, but they still treated her as a monster and skirted around her. They treated her as they did Gaara, whereas Baki just treated her like a wild animal.

"We will have one month to train for the Final Exam." Baki told his students. They all nodded. They had been told this already. Baki continued, reminding them of everything.

"During that time we will remain here. Do not jeopardize our mission. And no killing anyone." The last statement was directed at Gaara and the wolf, who snorted. Gaara said nothing as he ignored Baki and left, the wolf right behind him.

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><p>Avaya headed back to the apartment the Suna team was staying in with Gaara at her side. The wolf was having a grand time, sniffing the vendors and scaring people. Gaara was silent and calm at the moment. Or rather, he was as calm as someone like him could be. Avaya did not mind it though. He was her Gaara. And she had a plan to help him.<p>

"Hey, boy." Avaya paused as she heard a man address Gaara, who ignored the man. Avaya followed his example and continued walking. The man smelled off, like he had not bathed after becoming soaked in various fluids. Among them were blood an urine. The rest Avaya did not even want to identify.

"Hey. Redhead. I'm talking to you." Gaara stopped in annoyance. The wolf hoped that the boy would not kill the man, but that thought was in the back of her mind as she observed the mans appearance.

He had thin, long, greasy hair that was a mess. His clothing was dirty as well as smelly, making Avaya's nose crinkle in distaste. She could smell various chemicals and animals on him, along with blood. She did not like this man one bit. They way he was looking at her did not help matters either. He was looking at her like she was a bag of meat to be sold, or like a new fur coat. Avaya was very uneasy around him. Unconsciously she moved closer to Gaara, brushing up against him.

"You know boy, that dog there could fetch a heft price on the market." Gaara's voice was cold and flat as he replied.

"She is a wolf." Most people would have left it at that had they known who Gaara was, but this man was persistent.

"My bad, kid. Name's Jenkins. I could take that wolf off your hands, and give you a good price for it." A low growl began in Avaya's throat. She was not some beast to be sold off. Subconsciously she felt Gaara tense next to her as he places a hand on her back.

"She is not for sale."

"Now be reasonable kid. It's a dangerous beast. The mutt should be taken care of, and I can do that for you. My boss has been looking for something like that thing there for a while now." Something in Avaya went dead cold. There was only one person in the world that could be looking for her, but there was no way he knew what she was or where she was.

"Ask me again, and I'll kill you." Gaara turned away with Avaya right next to him. Never had the wolf felt so glad to be on Gaara's side.

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><p>That night Avaya was restless. Sleep eluded her as visions passed behind her eyelids in a terrible nightmare. After waking up for the hundredth time since she had gone to lay down, Avaya rose and sought Gaara out. The redhead was always able to chase any fears she had away, even if he did not realize it.<p>

When she found Gaara, the boy was sitting in his room in the window sill, looking out over Konoha. The wolf padded forward to him and laid her muzzle on his lap, where he began to pet it softly. Despite his personality and behavior towards all others, Gaara was always gentle with the wolf.

"In a month, the invasion will commence. Then I will prove my existence." Avaya only licked his hand. She did not approve of the invasion, soley because it scared her to think what might happen to Gaara. But at the same time, if the invasion did not take place, her plan would not be able to be carried out. Avaya was conflicted about it. On top of it all, she was still shaken up about the man from earlier, something Gaara must have sensed.

In a rare moment of softness, even more than he normally showed to Avaya, Gaara sat on the floor and patted the spot beside him. Dutifully Avaya laid down, her head resting on his thigh. As Gaara began to pet her soothingly, he spoke.

"I won't let them touch you. Sleep wolf." Avaya's last thought, as she drifted into a peaceful sleep, was that as much as Gaara needed her, the wolf needed him as well.

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><p><em><strong>Alright you lot, I know it's short, but I need more reviews. They give me inspiration to write more. There are 17 people following this story. I better get at least 10 reviews for the next chapter. Toodles. <strong>_

_**P.s. Check out my other stories too.**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**I love opening my inbox to see new reviews and followers. I'm not kidding; it really makes my day and makes me want to write more. And I love it when you guys ask questions about things. So here's a new chapter because I love you guys. Even though I only got 7 reviews. **_

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><p>Avaya was sitting beside Gaara when she smelt it. It was one of the genin that followed the man-woman thing. Dosu if she remembers correctly. He was spying on Gaara. Avaya did not like it. She stood up, stiff legged, fur bristled and snarled at him. Slowly the boy approached, ignoring Avaya as Gaara looked down at him.<p>

"Well, well, look at this. Don't you ever sleep at all?"

"What do you want?" Was Gaara's response. Avaya's snarled deepened. This boy was up to something. He was going to hurt Gaara.

"I was thinking of defeating you right here, right now. Then, I'll have a higher chance of fighting Sasuke-kun." If Avaya had not been so worried for her redhead, she would have snorted at the idea of any one touching Gaara. But tonight was the full moon. Having him get riled up any more would be a very bad idea. She took a step forward.

"I know of your sand attacks. Which do you think is faster, your sand or my sound?" Avaya took another step forward. This time Dosu did focus on her. He readied his attack.

"But first, I'll take care of that mutt." He began heading toward Avaya now. The wolf did not back down.

"When there's a full moon, _His_ blood gets excited." Dosu paused in his charge towards Avaya and looked at Gaara in fear.

"What…What are you?" The sound genin stuttered out. Then he was crushed by a giant limb of sand. The last thing he saw was the demon wolf standing beside the demon boy. The haunting image was something that would follow him past death.

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><p>Gaara was crouched on the roof, panting. Avaya nosed at him in worry, even as her ears picked up the conversation between Baki and another. It was not long before the scent of more blood permeated the air. Avaya whined and Gaara placed his hand on her head.<p>

"They won't touch you. Let's go." The two of them left to the forest where they could be in peace for the rest of the night. Avaya keeping the redhead calm, and Gaara making sure none came close.

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><p>The next morning the two of them headed back to the apartment. Baki was already there waiting for them. Kankuro and Temari sat at the couch.<p>

"Gaara. You're just in time." The redhead leaned against the wall while Avaya lay at his feet. Baki began talking to them all.

"Last night Dosu was killed. So the match line up has been changed for Temari. Temari and Kankuro both looked surprised but then realized what must have happened. They cast a wry look at Gaara. Baki continued.

"But if things go as planned it should not matter. Kankuro and Temari, your fights should be after Gaara's, and since the invasion will commence during Gaara's fight, neither of you will be fighting your opponents. So, both of you will have full chakra reserves for the invasion when the time comes. Gaara, this plan relies on you following the rules."

The redhead said nothing in response. As long as he got to kill somebody, Gaara would do it. But Avaya wondered about Kankuro and Temari. She had not missed Temari's hand twitched when Baki told them they would not get the chance to fight. It must be hard for the elder girl to be so close to being a Chunin but being unable to obtain it because of something her village decided.

* * *

><p>After the meeting the siblings went into their respective rooms and Avaya followed Gaara. She felt bad for Temari a little bit. Even though the older girl treated Gaara like a monster, she still cared a little bit about him. But there was nothing Avaya could do. Gaara was the wolf girl's priority.<p>

As they entered the room, Gaara sat in the window, staring out at the village. Avaya watched him momentarily before laying down. Now would be a good time to rest. Her redhead would not be going any where for the moment.

* * *

><p>"Temari!" Kankuro was whining to his sister. "Why can't we go out to eat?" His voice was beginning to irritate Avaya, who was laying down on the floor at Gaara's feet as the redhead read a book. She could tell he was ignoring his older brother. "I'm sick of burnt food." Apparently Temari had had enough of her brother as well.<p>

A thump sounded through the room as Temari punched Kankuro in the head.

"If you don't like my cooking then why don't you make something?! Besides, we can't go into places with a wolf, and the wolf won't leave Gaara's side. So deal with it." Temari hissed at the brunette. Avaya blinked. Temari was beginning to accept the wolf, even though she was still terrified of her. And that was nice of her, trying to keep Gaara and the wolf girl together.

"Can't you at least go order something?" Kankuro pleaded. Temari hit him again and sighed. She was getting tired of his complaining.

"Fine, I'll run to the market and pick something up. But it's coming our of your wallet." Kankuro, who had been complaining when Temari hit him again stopped complaining the moment she told him she would run to the market. When Temari told him it would be going to be coming from his money though, Kankuro began complaining again, only to be silenced by a threat from Temari.

"Keep whining and you get nothing." Kankuro shut up immediately. The older sister looked at Gaara. "Do you want anything?" She got no answer and sighed, heading toward the door.

* * *

><p>Gaara was ignoring his older siblings during the entire time so he would not be tempted to kill them. He focused on his book. Only when he felt a wet nose prod him in his leg did he look down at the wolf. Her tail was wagging slightly as she looked between him and Temari, who was getting ready to leave to the market. He frowned slightly.<p>

He did not want to be left with Kankuro, but he did not want to leave. However he knew the wolf needed to get outside. It was not good for her to be cooped up inside all day. She was already getting restless. He considered his options quickly. He could tolerate Kankuro for a while. And Temari would make sure no one took his wolf. Finally he nodded.

Gaara watched his wolf shoot up and trot over to Temari, tail wagging. The older girl just looked puzzled before she understood. The blond just shrugged and opened the door, allowing the wolf out first before following and closing the door behind them. Gaara stood up and went into his room, leaving Kankuro alone in the common room.

* * *

><p>Avaya trotted along side Temari. The wind mistress scanned the stalls for what she needed, unworried about enemy shinobi. The wolf may make her uneasy, but it would keep other shinobi at bay as well. Temari began mumbling to herself as she looked at other venders.<p>

"What should I get I wonder? Gaara likes gizzards, so I should get some for him. Kankuro would like hamburger steak and kenchin soup sounds really good right now. I might as well get Baki some tofu." Temari was brought out of her musings when a large paw swatted her leg. After nearly jumping out of her skin, the blond looked at the wolf, which was sniffing the air, tail wagging slightly. The large animal began walking off before pausing and looking at Temari expectantly. Hesitantly the girl followed the canine.

When the two of them arrived at a stand with the soup Temari wanted, the blond looked at the wolf beside her in surprise. After ordering her food, the girl followed the wolf to another stand. They did this until Temari had all the food for her team.

"So..." Temari began awkwardly. The wolf looked up at her patiently, its intelligent eyes meeting her own. "What do you want to eat?" The wolf gave an excited yip, tail going back forth like crazy. Temari followed it as it trotted joyfully over to a stand selling meat, stopping to stand in front of some pork. Temari nodded and walked up to the owner.

"Hello miss, how can I help you?" the robust man asked.

"Can I get a large order of pork?" The man nodded and walked over to fill out the order. Temari looked at the excited wolf before turning back to the man.

"Actually, can you make that two large orders?"

* * *

><p>Temari walked back toward the apartment with the wolf walking excitedly by her side. She stopped suddenly when the wolf let out a vicious snarl. She looked worriedly down at the canine beside her. Its fur was bristled and its head was down low, exposing its wicked teeth. Ears back and legs stiff, the wolf walked forward, keeping its self between what ever had set it off, and Temari. It was only then that the girl noticed the street was empty.<p>

Then suddenly she felt it. Somebody was there, even though Temari could not see him, and the aura he gave off absolutely terrified her. The wolf gave a sharp but deep, vicious bark.

"Wolf, let's go. We need to get back to the boys." Temari spoke low, but urgently, knowing the wolf would understand her. The wolf continued to keep its self between Temari and the threat as they reached the apartment.

Hastily Temari opened the door and darted in, holding it for the wolf, who backed in, still snarling. As soon as the wolf was clear, Temari slammed it shut, locking it.

"Go check on Gaara, I'll take care of things out here." The girl told the wolf as the deposited everything on the counter. The wolf nodded, fur still on end, and took off to the redheads room.

"Temari? What's going on?" Temari looked at Kankuro.

"Lock every door and window. Something is out there." Kankuro hastily obeyed his sisters urgent command and he set about helping her.

"Where is Baki?"

"Right here." Temari turned in relief as her sensei appeared from his room. "What is it?" Temari explained to him what happened.

"Something is out there. I've never seen the wolf get that on edge. I couldn't see him, but who ever it was gave off a really bad vibe. I've never felt something like that in my entire life. Even Gaara doesn't compare to this."

Baki frowned. Temari was the most sensible and the calmest one of the group, but she looked absolutely terrified. The wolf, which he had passed on his way to the kitchen, had been soon edge that it had not even glimpsed him as it ran to Gaara's room. Kankuro was even looking uneasy as his sister's terror.

"We will keep watch tonight. Nothing is getting in here. For now just eat and occupy yourselves." The older brother and sister complied, eating the food Temari had gotten. Baki too, got his food.

* * *

><p>When his wolf burst into his room, Gaara was up in an instant. He took note of her panicked state and the way she sniffed the entire room before going the window. He watched as she rose up to her hind legs and placed her front paws on the window, closing it. Then with her mouth she locked it. Climbing down, the wolf took the curtains in her mouth and tugged them closed.<p>

Finally she turned to Gaara, sniffing him up and down. The redhead knelt down and took her head in his hands.

"Easy girl." The wolf let out a small whined and pushed her head against his chest gently. He pet her softly as her fur slowly lay flat once again. He stood up and walked out to the kitchen with his wolf by his side.

"What happened?" Gaara demanded when he saw Temari.

"Something really wrong is out there." Temari told him. He nodded and moved to the food. "There is stuff for you in there and the pork is for the wolf." Temari stated as she finished up her food. The redhead just nodded as he got a bowl of water for the wolf and plates for their food.

* * *

><p>For the rest of the night the wolf was restless. She continued to walk around, sniffing the windows and door, as if to make sure that what ever was out there had not gotten closer. Temari watched the pacing wolf from her position at the table.<p>

"Wolf." The wolf looked at the blond. Everyone else was in bed or in their rooms as it was Temari's turn to take watch. "They can't get here. We are safe. Gaara won't let anything get in." Temari no longer felt weird talking to an animal. The time spent with the wolf made Temari realize there was more to it than meets the eye.

The wolf walked over Temari and lay down at the girl's feet. The two shared a companionable silence. As Temari polished her fan, the wolf began to doze off. Then the wolf lifted her head up, hackles raised and a low growl rising in her throat.

**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**

Both females leapt to their feet as something slammed on the door. Temari readied her weapon and the wolf stood at her side, fur all on end and mouth drawn back into a vicious snarl. Within seconds Kankuro, Baki and Gaara were beside them.

Insane laughter came from the opposite side of the door as the pounding continued.

"I will get you little wolf! Just you wait!" Said wolf let out the most vicious sound any of them had ever heard. Gaara had to restrain her from attacking whatever was behind the door.

The laughter continued along with the pounding when it all went silent. The presence disappeared and they all began to relax. Baki and Kankuro went back to bed, leaving Temari and Gaara in the living room with the wolf.

Temari looked at her youngest brother before speaking. "There's a hell of a lot more to your wolf than we think." Then she too went to bed, leaving Gaara staring at his wolf before he looked at the door. Something was trying to get her, and he would kill anything that tried to even touch her.

* * *

><p><strong>Review, favorite and follow :)<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning Avaya stood in the waiting room where the contestants would wait before their matches. The genin were in the center of the arena where the spectators could see them. Though she longed to be down there next to Gaara, the wolf knew that it was not allowed. She was not a ninkin, the like Inuzuka dog. Technically she should not be in the room either, but the wolf had snuck in anyway. Avaya waited patiently for Gaara to come to the room.

Eventually Gaara did show up, warping into the room with his sand. Avaya greeted him happily as the others soon entered. Temari was also greeted with a tail wag, though the large wolf ignored Kankuro's entrance.

Avaya focused out to the center again. Being large enough, she was easily able to lift her head over the half wall for easy viewing. Gaara stood beside her as he leaned against the side wall, Temari and Kankuro on the other side of the black wolf.

* * *

><p>Gaara stood with his eyes closed. Sasuke had not shown up yet and he could feel the beast inside calling for blood. Only the presence of Wolf beside him kept the demon at bay. Personally he did not care about the plan. He just wanted to kill people and feel their blood soak into his sand. Briefly he wondered what would happen to Wolf during the invasion but he pushed the thought out of his mind. She would be fine.<p>

It was only once his match finally began that did Gaara realize something. His wolf was capable of taking out small groups in the wild. She was smart. But, was not a trained shinobi. A full scale invasion was far different than what she was used to. Unfortunately all these thoughts came too late, as he was already engaged in combat with the Uchiha.

Gaara looked up at the stands to where his wolf was waiting. The last thing he saw before his blood lust took over was a pair of amber eyes gazing at him.

* * *

><p>Avaya knew the minute that Gaara did a partial transformation that it was time to begin her plan. She was not a trained shinobi, she would have no defense against genjutsu, so she had to act now, before it was started. She was trying to figure a way out when Temari stepped closer to her.<p>

"The door is open a crack, you should be able to get out." The words were quieter than a whisper, but Avaya's canine ears picked them up easily enough. The big wolf slunk out of the room and away from the area without being seen before taking off. And explosion ripped through the area as Avaya took off. The invasion of Konoha had begun.

Darting into an ally, Avaya took her human form once again. She would need to sate her craving before she was able to enact any of her plan later on. But she was saved from looking for a victim when sound shinobi landed in front of her. Perfect.

* * *

><p>Avaya wiped her mouth before assuming her wolf body and darting off. She narrowly dodged flying debris as she raced after Gaara's sent. The redhead was injured and with his siblings. The group was being followed by Konoha and Sound shinobi. If her plan was to work, she had to stop the sound shinobi from interfering and delay the Konoha shinobi. She needed the blond boy to fight with Gaara.<p>

The large wolf ran, a silent blur in the woods. Sniffing the air, one of the Konoha ninja had split off from the group to stop the Sound group. She had to applaud his brilliance, the ploy worked for the most part. Most of the group followed him. Making a split second decision, she too took after the boy. If he failed then his plot would do nothing to help her.

When She caught up, she recognized the Nara boy, who had caught most of the Sound shinobi in his shadow technique. But the boy was tired, he would not be able to hold it for long. Avaya's keen nose caught the scent of another Konoha shinobi. He had disabled one of the Sound attempting to sneak up on the boy and would back him up. Wasting no time, Avaya leapt into the clearing, taking them all by surprise as she landed on the back of one of the shinobi just as the shadow technique was dispelled.

At the same time, the older Konoha ninja leap to the ground. Avaya launched herself at one more Sound shinobi, disabling him permanently before heading toward Gaara. The two Konoha members let her go. The large wolf was not their enemy. That much had been made clear.

* * *

><p>Picking off the last few Sound shinobi, Avaya came across the area where Kankuro had fought the bug user. Kankuro was already gone, but the other boy lay prone, having been poisoned. Avaya hesitated. She needed to get to Gaara to make sure her plan was carried out, but if something were to happen to one of Naruto's friends, then everything will be for nothing.<p>

Fazing into her human form, Avaya carefully moved the unconscious boy to sit up against a tree. Digging around in his pack, Avaya found a few bandages. She soaked them in blood from his wounds before tying them to a few branches. The bright red would stand out to rescuers. The girl did not bandage his wounds however. The poison would have a higher chance of spreading if the blood was kept in his body. Best to leave it open so the poison leak out as well.

Avaya leap off the branch, already a wolf as she hit the ground, and run. Not once did she notice the now open eyes from behind a pair of dark glasses. But they closed again.

* * *

><p>Avaya reached the clearing where Gaara was at the same time Kankuro did. Temari joined them as she explained what was going on. Avaya needed no explanation. Her nose told her all. The pink haired girl was pinned to a tree, her dark haired companion close by with a small dog. Naruto was engaged in a fight with Gaara, who was already beginning to transform.<p>

Avaya let out a whine. One of the redhead's eyes was already golden. The wolf girl prayed she had not made a mistake in her plan. So far the blond boy was not living up to expectations. She knew he had what Gaara did, so why did he not use it? She would not get her answer until later. As Gaara began his full transformation, Avaya was forced to move.

Separating from the remaining two sand siblings, who went a different way, Avaya landed in front of Naruto's two team members. Pinky was unconscious and pinned to a tree. The other boy was too weak from his mark. Neither would be able to defend themselves from falling debris or wayward attacks. She could do this much for the blond boy.

* * *

><p>Naruto and Avaya locked eyes for a moment. The blond understood. In her eyes he understood more than words could explain. She would defend his teammates, but he needed to save Gaara too. He turned to the redhead. It was time to end this.<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

Gaara laughed at the blond boy's pitiful attempts of punching him. "As long as you fight for the sake of others, you will never win. Forget your friends."

"You're insane, forget my friends?"

"With trivial feelings like friendship and loyalty, you'll lose focus and you'll die."

"Yeah? Well keep talking, because I'm about to shut you up, once and for all." Naruto leapt at Gaara, only to be smashed down once again.

Avaya could only whine. Gaara, her Gaara, was hurting. And she was powerless to stop it. She could only watch as Gaara was stuck reliving painful memories alone. She wanted nothing more than to be there and hold him and tell him everything was going to be alright. But it was impossible. She knew that. She had to trust the Konoha genin had something up his sleeve, despite the fear e was emanating.

Gaara goaded him on. "Come on, why don't you attack? Aren't you worried about your friends?" Gaara's body took on more of the Shukaku form before attacking Naruto. The blond was once again knocked down.

Avaya could smell the fear coming from everyone. Things were not going to end well.

* * *

><p>The one sided battle continued on with Gaara continuously knocking him down. It was not until the blond stood up and began a counter attack did anything change. Using his shadow clones, Naruto made his way closer and closer until finally he stuck a kunai into the rear of Gaara's sand form. When the blond was knocked away, his dark haired team mate managed to catch him as an explosion from the kunai went off. Avaya herself was forced to shield the pink haired girl from the blast.<p>

When the dust cleared, the wolf could see the sand dripping off of Gaara, as well at the large chunk missing from the tree. Maybe things would work out after all. An excess amount of work was put into it for just one blow, but it was a good blow. Avaya had never seen Gaara take a hit like that.

"When someone had something they want to protect, it is only then that they become strong." Naruto's words rang across the forest as he remembered something. The blond stood with determination, causing a growing respect to blossom in Avaya. No doubt the battle would be hard. But this was Uzumaki Naruto. He could do it. He released a massive amount of chakra and dozens of Naruto's filled the clearing. They charged at Gaara.

It tore at Avaya to see her redhead be beaten up like that, but she knew it was necessary. This was their fight. Getting involved now would kill her and set back all the planning she had done for this moment. Gaara had to be beat for this to work. She would lament over his pain later. But then his scent changed.

Gaara lay motionless on the ground, but Avaya knew it would not be for long. The scent coming from him, it was that of the monster sealed within him. Shukaku was going to be arriving soon. Every clone that Naruto had summoned was dispersed at sand flew up. And once the smoke and dust settled, Avaya cold only stare in horror and worry.

The wolf's fur stood on end and her ears were pressed back. The sight before her was no longer Gaara. Shukaku now stood in his place. Sand covered Naruto and Avaya let out a whine as Gaara prepared to do his Sand Coffin. However, instead of being crushed, Naruto, in his depleted state, summoned a giant toad, breaking the sand coffin. Now the real battle began.

* * *

><p>Avaya could not help but to let her ears and tail droop in exasperation. Her canine ears were able to pick up the conversation going on between Naruto and the two toads with him. It was only thanks to the smaller toad that the Boss Toad agreed to help Naruto out with dealing with Shukaku. She had to hand it to him though; the Boss knew how to fight, for an amphibian.<p>

Avaya was hard pressed to keep the larger pieces of dirt and trees from striking the girl behind her, despite the toads attempts at keeping the fight away from them. The wolf knew she was going to be sore for a few days after this. Her nose perked up and she whipped her head around.

At the top of Shukaku's form the sand began to ripple. Avaya heard Temari run away as her feel tripled. Then, Gaara was visible, his upper half of his body protruding from the head of the demon. All at once, Avaya felt her heart plummet. She remembered a few months back when Gaara had sat with her, telling her of the invasion. Before he had left, he had hesitated before telling her something.

"_Wolf, if the opossum jutsu is used, run."_

This was it, the jutsu Gaara had warned the wolf about. She was powerless to do anything. The demon let out a laugh. It was no longer her Gaara in charge, he was asleep, and the demon inside had come to play.

The Toad and Shukaku exchanged attacks, causing what felt like a short rain storm. Avaya's pelt became soaked and she watched the battle play out. They two giants exchanged more wind and water attacks, causing it to rain down on them. Then the toad leapt in close, grabbing the demon in an attempt to get Naruto close to Gaara in order to wake him up. But toads do not have claws, and Shukaku easily pulled away.

The toad leapt at Shukaku once more, this time as they got close, smoke erupted around them. When they emerged, it was no longer the toad and Naruto, but rather a large, nine tailed fox. Avaya felt her body freeze. She was terrified. In her years in this world, never had the wolf felt as terrified as she did right then, watching two giant monsters of legend battle it out.

Finally the giant fox managed to grab ahold of Shukaku. In a puff of smoke, the fox was gone, reverting back into the toad as Naruto leapt off and punched Gaara in the face. The redhead groaned as he was woken up.

As Naruto ran toward Gaara once more, sand from the form of Shukaku began to trap him. The blond and the toad were at their limit. Slowly the toad was being pushed back, heading in the direction where Avaya stood, protecting the pink haired girl from debris.

The blond looked back at the two, and for a moment, their eyes met before Naruto turned his attention to Sakura and then the fight. His eyes were steeled with determination and desperation. He was running out of time, but he was determined to make it. A red chakra began to envelope him.

Naruto cast off the sand holding his legs and leapt at Gaara, only for his punch and arms to be caught by more sand.

"I-I've had it with you!" Throwing his head forward, the blond landed a solid hit onto Gaara, forehead to forehead.

* * *

><p>The sand began to crumble and lose its shape as blood trickled down the faces of the two boys. Then they were falling. The big toad disappeared, the smoke from his departure adding to the dust filled air. Avaya watched in horror as Gaara fell alongside Naruto onto the tops of trees. Both shakily stood up before launching at each other. Only Naruto's punch connected.<p>

Gaara was sent flying down to the ground, Naruto close behind. Behind her, Avaya could hear the sand crumbling away from the pink haired girl. The wolf took that as her cue to move and jumped down to Gaara. The other member of their team could catch her.

Avaya stood next to Gaara, the redhead not yet noticing the wolf beside him as he stared in horror at Naruto. The blond was inching his way towards Gaara.

"No! Stay away!" Unable to move, Gaara shouted in fear at the boy moving closer. The blond continued on.

"It's almost unbearable, isn't it? The feeling of being all alone." Naruto looked up, his eyes holding an unending sadness.

"I know that feeling; I've been there, in that dark and lonely place. But now there are others. Other people who mean a lot to me." The blond continued making his way forward.

"I care more about them than I do myself. And I won't let anyone hurt them." Avaya watched as the blond continued making his way to Gaara.

"That's why I won't ever give up. I will stop you, even if I have to kill you!"

"Why?" Gaara's eyes were filled with confusion and fear. "Why would you do this for anyone but yourself?"

"Because they saved me from myself. They rescued me from myself. They were the first to accept me for who I am. They're my friends."

* * *

><p>Gaara looked up at the sky. "Love? Is that the thing that makes him so strong?" Then his sight was blocked by a mass of black fur.<p>

"Wolf."

Her fur was soaked and covered in blood and dirt, but Gaara would recognize his wolf anywhere. She now stood over the redhead protectively, a low rumble in her chest as she warned someone away from him.

"Naruto." It was Sasuke. "That's enough." Gaara looked to see the black haired boy crouched down next the Naruto.

"Look, Sakura is going to be fine. The sand crumbled away, she free. This guy's chakra is depleted."

"Oh, that's a relief." The blond passed out. At the same time, Temari and Kankuro dropped down in front of Gaara, taking up defensive positions in case the Uchiha decided to attack Gaara while he was down.

The redhead was silent. His wolf stood above him while his siblings stood to protect him.

"That's enough. It's over."

"But Gaara." Kankuro started, but froze upon seeing Gaara's face. The younger boy had had it with fighting. The elder brother knelt down and the wolf moved.

"Alright." Placing on arm over his shoulder, Kankuro lifted Gaara to his feet. The four of them left.

"Temari, Kankuro. I'm sorry." Avaya watched as the tow older siblings exchanged a look at Gaara's apology.

"Don't worry about it."


	12. Chapter 12

The journey back to Suna was uneventful. Gaara was unconscious for most of it, and Temari and Kankuro were too tired to fight. Avaya tagged along with the group, adding to what little security they felt. The lot of them were wounded and worn out. Thankfully no one stopped them.

Their arrival back to the village was nothing short of irritating. Gaara had been separated from his siblings and neglected by the doctors. With his siblings unable to get to him and the doctors being unhelpful, Gaara's condition began to decline. Avaya was forced to take matters into her own hands.

* * *

><p>A nurse was walking down the hall, engrossed in the clipboard she held in her hands. She was so absorbed that she failed to notice the hands reaching for her until too late. A hand covered her mouth as she was dragged into one of the rooms.<p>

The nurse was shoved into the one containing Gaara. The redhead lay unmoving, as he had for most of that day. Blood and dirt still coated his form, staining the sheets. No one had even looked at him since he was placed there. The nurse was shoved closer.

"Fix him." The nurse saw her abductor. It was a girl close to Gaara's age, dressed in a black robe. Her long black hair was flowing wildly around her. Amber eyes pierced the woman, instilling fear into her. The woman nodded shakily and moved to the boy. Her fear of the strange girl overriding her fear of the unconscious boy before them.

Her fear began to ebb away as she took in just how badly damaged the young boy was. A frown began to mar her face. She stepped into the hall and began shouting for people to assist her. Reluctantly they scurried to her bidding. The woman never noticed the girl slipping away.

But a pair of teal eyes had seen everything.

* * *

><p>Avaya slipped out of the village, taking her wolf form once again. The burn in her throat was blinding. She had used two of her precious words. She only had ninety three left. Avaya ran on. She knew the burn would not ease until she got her fill of blood. The girl had risked a lot to help Gaara.<p>

Avaya knew there would be a band of Sound shinobi around the area. She just had to find them. It would be a massacre. The pain in her throat and the risk she had taken put all thoughts of kindness out of her mind. She was a hunter, and she would destroy her prey before returning to Gaara.

* * *

><p>When Gaara came to, he was alone in the same room he had been. But his wounds had been cleaned and treated. He wondered how long he had been out.<p>

"Gaara!" The redhead's eyes flicked to the door as Temari and Kankuro walked in. Like their younger brother, they were covered in bandages, though they had just been released from the hospital. His sea foam eyes took in their forms, mentally taking notice of their injuries before speaking.

"Where is Wolf? Temari and Kankuro were surprised.

"We figured she would be with you." Temari was the one who replied after exchanging a glance with Kankuro.

"She practically fought tooth and nail to stay with you after all." Kankuro added.

Gaara frowned. His wolf had been injured, that much he had been aware of. If what Kankuro and Temari said was true, then she had entered the hospital with him. But somehow she had disappeared without anyone seeing her.

"Excuse me." The door opened, revealing a young nurse. Upon seeing Kankuro and Temari in the room, she gave a slight pause before bowing respectfully.

"My name is Yumi, I'm the nurse in charge of overseeing Gaara's recovery." She turned to the boy. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." She hummed and moved closer.

"I'll need to check your injuries and vitals. Is that alright?" Any fear she felt at being near the monster of Suna was hid behind her professional demeanor. Stiffly Gaara nodded.

A bark sounded throughout the room. All four heads turned to see Wolf trot into the room, head and tail held high. Her tail began to wag upon seeing Gaara awake.

"Oh my." Yumi whispered out. Her face had gone pale at the wolf's entrance, professional appearance temporarily forgotten.

"You get used to it after a while." Kankuro comforted the nurse, who nodded, still shocked.

Everyone watched at the wolf walked right up to Gaara and put her front paws on the bed before sniffing his face and torso all over. Apparently appeased for the time being, she sat down beside the hospital bed. Her head in reach, Gaara began to slowly pet her. The tenseness in his frame began to relax.

"She won't hurt you." Gaara rasped out, meeting Yumi's eyes. The nurse remembered what she was supposed to be doing. Hesitantly, she moved back towards Gaara, giving the wolf space.

As she fell into a rhythm in her work, Yumi began to relax. She looked at the gauze around Gaara's torso and shoulder.

"I'm going to have to change this." Gaara tensed again.

"It's going to hurt, but it needs to be done." She told him. Reluctantly he nodded. He was in no hurry to feel pain again, but his wolf was here to help him.

* * *

><p>Avaya sat quietly as the nurse worked on Gaara. She could smell the fear on her and did not want to cause her to run off mid-treatment. Avaya decided she liked this nurse though. The wolf decided she would keep a mental tab on her, just in case her skills were needed again. It was nice to have someone not totally incompetent to treat Gaara.<p>

She licked Gaara's hand as he stoically bore the pain of having his bandages changed. The wound was almost healed, thanks to him being a jinchuuriki. Finally the task was complete and the nurse left.

"Ah, I'm going to ask her about Gaara's stay." Kankuro announced as he hurried to follow the nurse. Temari rolled her eyes as she watched him leave.

"More like he's going to hit on her." Gaara could not help but silently agree. His sister turned to face him.

"I'll go get you some clean clothes. Do you want anything else?"

Gaara shook his head and Temari took her leave. But before she reached the door, Gaara spoke.

"Thank you." Temari blinked in surprise at him before smiling.

"No problem, Gaara." She left the room.

* * *

><p>Gaara felt satisfied as he rested. He had finally been released from the hospital and now sat on his own bed. Wolf lay on it beside him, content with her spot. Temari had just come up to check on him and bring him supper. Thoughtfully, the older girl had also brought food up for wolf.<p>

The redhead felt a sort of relief at his sister's actions. Though she still had a wariness around her, Temari no longer looked at him or Wolf with fear. Instead, she went out of her way to include the two of them now. Even Kankuro, though still nervous around the wolf, was beginning to relax too.

It was a different feeling for Gaara. Though he decided he did not dislike it. He looked over at Wolf and scratched behind her ears. Her tail wagged slightly.

"You feel the same, don't you?" An increase in the tail wagging was his only answer.

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><p><strong>Reviews are love.<strong>


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